About 500 rooms, the buffet, some slot machines, and other parts of the Bellagio went dark on New Years Eve as they experienced a major power outage, from about noon ’till almost 8pm. The official cause was a “degradation of material” used to connect power cables.

For the second year in a row, New Years Day came to a rapid end at the Cosmopolitan when a guest fell from a hotel room balcony. His body was found by a Cosmo employee near the tennis court.

The Octavious Tower is officially open and is getting very high comments on customer convenience.

The Reno Air Races President said The Show Will Go On. Even though they suffered a horrible accident last year, there has been overwhelming response to keep races going.

World Series of Beer Pong ended this week with a live stream of event on the inter webs and a group taking home the top prize of $50,000, custom dog tags, and years supply of condoms.

The Atomic Testing Museum is now the National Atomic Testing Museum…..something about Harry Reid getting more federal money.

Le Reve celebrated it’s 3000th performance on New Years Day. They opened in April of 2005 and only 5 performances have been scrubbed due to mechanical breakdowns.

A Clark County firefighter has been charged with 10 counts of felony burglary for calling in false calls and stealing from the fire station when the firemen responded.

Two people were stabbed at the CircusCircus in Reno when they got into a fight over a hat.

The first homicide of the year was a 59 year old woman shot in the head. Her killer is under arrest.

Henderson got the first pedestrian struck by a car this year. The 50 year old woman survived.

The 696 room Hooters hotel and casino will go on the auction block with bids accepted until Feb 10 and results will be on Feb 17. The Canpartners Realty Holding Company holds $178 million of their debt and might just insert a credit bid.

The $70 million renovation of rooms at the main tower in Bellagio is complete. Pictures that I have seen look very nice.

The City of Las Vegas is working on a parking plan to make it easier to find a parking place, especially in the downtown district. It includes smart meters that accept various forms of payment and an app that will let you know where empty spots are.

A British tourist who died at a bachelor party of cocaine and alcohol overdoses in 2005, was missing internal organs when his body was returned to London. The family has settled a complaint with Clark County paying $50,000 and the funeral home $300,000.

Metro and NHP are not shy about writing tickets for drivers using cell phones, now that a new law is in effect. However, if they set up check points to watch for this offense, they post the time and location in advance to avoid an entrapment allegation. The fines range from $50 for the first offense to losing your license and paying $250 for the third offense.

Constables from Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Boulder City are saying all constables are getting a bad rap as Las Vegas Constables have been seen hamming it up for a reality TV show that is filming pilots with them.

Clark County Commissioners heard both sides of a proposal to ban the feeding of pigeons and lawmakers will draw up new proposals based on the hearing.

A law was also proposed to Clark County to ban panhandlers from taking the pets on the strip. This is the same Commissioner that is trying to control the pigeon and feral cat populations.

With the great weather, so many people decided to visit Mt Charleston that NHP shut down State Route 156 heading to Lee Canyon, only letting residents in.

Marilyn Winn left Harrahs/Caesars to become president of Wynn. The Winn/Wynn situation has taken a turn as he has changed her name to Marilyn Spiegel. She was married three years ago and had kept her old name.

The Consumer Electronics Show begins this coming week. A bad week if you’re looking for cheap car rates, cheap hotel rooms, or restaurant reservations.

Earthquakes are rocking Lake Mead as more water adds more weight to the land underneath it. The tremors are relatively weak and not felt by most humans. They are significant in the long run according to the experts.

There was a robbery at O’Sheas on the strip when a security guard was transferring money had the money taken from him. The robber got away in the early morning heist on Thursday.

Floyd Mayweather Jr avoided jail on Friday by pleading with the judge to delay his 90 day jail stint until after a scheduled fight in May. He will now have to report for jail on June 1.

It’s Dash for the Sash weekend as the Miss American Pageant is held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas for the 7th consecutive year.

It’s also a weekend for Elvis fans as the King of Rock and Roll would have been 77 on Monday.